Q with Tom Power

Candi Staton has been a gospel prodigy, a Southern soul powerhouse and a disco icon. Now, at 85, she’s back in the spotlight with her Grammy-nominated album Back to My Roots, which marks her return to the gospel music where it all began. From segregated Alabama churches to ’90s dance floors, her career includes timeless hits like Young Hearts Run Free and You Got the Love. But it’s also a journey marked by hardship, heartbreak and long stretches of being overlooked. Candi joins guest host Garvia Bailey to talk about finally getting her flowers — and what it means to keep singing after seven decades in music.

Canadian rapper Alexander Gumuchian, better known as bbno$, is up for three Junos next month. A few years ago, he sat down with Tom Power in the Q studio to talk about his unconventional path to success, from a bored college kid making music for fun to a viral TikTok star and mainstream hitmaker.

Leroy Sibbles is one of the biggest names in reggae history. Known as the undisputed king of the reggae bassline, Leroy first rose to fame as the lead singer of The Heptones. He 

was also an integral part of Jamaica's Studio One record label, which is often described as “the Motown of Jamaica.” In the early ’70s, Leroy left Jamaica for Canada, where he helped build Toronto’s fledgling reggae scene. In this conversation with guest host Garvia Bailey, he talks about his incredible life and career.

When artist Jesse Mockrin looks at Renaissance paintings, she can't help but see the gender-based violence in them. Her new exhibit, Echo, at the Art Gallery of Ontario, reimagines these works from a feminist perspective — shifting focus to the women whose stories have long been overlooked or erased in historical art. Jesse joins guest host Garvia Bailey to discuss the inspirations behind her work, why she often crops her paintings, and her fascination with hands.

Oliver Laxe is the director of the Oscar-nominated film Sirāt, which is up for best international feature (representing Spain) and best sound at this year’s Academy Awards. Set against vast stretches of desert, the film follows a father searching for his missing daughter after she disappears at a rave deep in the mountains of southern Morocco. Oliver spent more than a decade making Sirāt, paring the script down to just 50 pages and letting its deep techno score, movement and imagery drive the story. In this conversation with guest host Garvia Bailey, he talks about his singular approach to storytelling, and the surprising role the dance floor played in his own healing.

After years working behind the scenes as a songwriter and producer, followed by a nearly decade-long hiatus in the corporate world, Koladae made the decision to finally release his own music. But then, a little over a year ago, he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. He wrote his latest single, Keep Rolling, just two weeks before his surgery. Koladae talks to guest host Garvia Bailey about what this difficult experience taught him about life, and about making music. 

Suzy Eddie Izzard is a Tony-nominated actor, stand-up comedian, multi-marathon runner and one-time political candidate. Now, she’s performing a solo adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet at the CAA Theatre in Toronto, in which she plays all 23 characters. Suzy joins guest host Garvia Bailey to tell us about the challenges of doing Hamlet solo, why she was especially keen to breathe new life into Shakespeare's female characters, and why conventional beauty is like winning the acting lottery.

Zochi is a Regina-based, Nigerian-born artist who’s just released a new single called What You Want. It showcases her smooth vocals and vulnerable storytelling, diving into feelings of unrequited love. She joins guest host Garvia Bailey to talk about being honest in her music, how moving to Canada changed her life, and why she’s never giving up on love.

If you’re shocked by a few songs full of dirty words, try watching the news — that’s the challenge laid out by Peaches on her first album in more than 10 years, No Lube So Rude. On the new record, the Canadian electro-punk legend uses her brand of raunchy wordplay and danceable beats to sound off on everything from the reversal of Roe v. Wade to Elon Musk’s Starlink. Peaches joins guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about the spirit of joyful rebellion behind her confrontational lyrics, what she learned performing for kids, and how aging has transformed her as an artist. 

Actor and writer Scott Turner Schofield has spent his career quietly reshaping what transgender visibility looks like on screen. He was the first openly trans actor on daytime television with The Bold and the Beautiful, the first openly trans man nominated for an Emmy, and a consultant on HBO’s Euphoria. Now, after moving to Canada amid rising anti-trans legislation in the U.S., Scott is telling his own story in an autobiographical film called Becoming a Man in 127 Easy Steps. Captured over years and across different stages of his transition, the film blends humour and memory to reflect on what it means to keep becoming yourself. Scott sits down with guest host Garvia Bailey to tell us more.